Spring-hub wheel.



E. KREH. SPRING HUB WHEEL. APPLIGATIQN FILED una, 1912,

1 ,055,283. f Patented Mar. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. KREH. SPRING aus WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAYS), 1912. v Patented Mar. 4,'1913.

z BHBBTS-SHEM 42.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGEN KREH, 0F MARE ISLAND, CALIFORNIA.

SPRING-HUB WHEEL.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that I, EUGEN Karima citizen of the United States, residing at Mare Island, in the county of Salano, State of California; have invented certain new and' useful Improvements 1n Spring-Hub Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make.

and use the same. l This invention relates to'new `and useful improvements in spring wheels 'and more espeoially to a novel form of spring hub con` struction therefor. t f

*The primary object of the invention consists in providing a spring wheel having tubular .spokes and a hub comprising a pair of plates clamped together to inclose the inner ends of` the spokes and to limit the movement Iof the latter while a' resilient bearing element in contained in the hub and supported by resilient means containedin the spokes to absorb shock and vibration during the rotation of the wheel.

Another and important object of the invention is to construct 4a wheel having spokes-1 containing springs having plungers normally forced inward y and movably en#- gaged.; with the peripheral face of an axle receiving element for permitting movement of the latter to absorb shock durin the ltravel of a wheel over an uneven roa surface, the axle' receiving element bein held from lrotation while the rim of the W eel is provided fory readily renewing the sprlngs or supporting. a solid rubber or other tread .so as to dispense with pneumatic tires.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain other combinatiops and arrangements of parts as will' be -hereinaftermore fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which; v

Figure 1 is'ia side elevation of-a fragmentary Iportion' of my improved spring wheel. Fig. 2 is a similar 'view but showing one side late of the hub removed and several of t e spokes in section to illustrate the action of the spring hub under a load.

y Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the wheel taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig.4 is an inlside face view `of one of the plates forming the hub. Fig. 5 is a detail'perspective viewl of the bearing member of the axle.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of one -Specifcation of Letters Patent.

Application led May 9,1912. Serial No. 696,205.

Patented Maine, 1913.

of the spokes and part ofthe rim and hlub of thewheel.

As shown,

my improvedr wheel comprises a hub l0 the salue being formed of a pair of circular plates 11, the outermost one being i closed while the inner plate is provided with an opening 12 centrally thereof for receiving a vehicle axle.A The plates 1l are each provided with otl'set central portions 13 and surrounding inset (langes 14 provided with a plurality of equi-distantly spaced and radially extended semi-circular recesses 15 c0- acting to receive the inner ends ofaA corresponding number of tubular spokes 16:

The plates 11 are clamped together by means of screws 17 engaged in eoacting or registering threaded apertures y18 in the intermediate portions 19 of the flanged portions of the platesl located between the concaved portions 13 thereby securely holding the inner ends of the spokes tothe hub while said spokes are limited from inward displacement by means of shoulders 20 which engage the peripheral edges of the plates. A riin 21 is secured to the outer ends of the spokes in the usual manner except that-said rml has a centralV reinforcing rib 22extcnding inwardly and side Hanges 2371501' the retention of a solid rubber or other cushion tread 24 on the rim. t

'lhe outer ends o'f the spokes are closed by screw threaded taps or plugs 25 which operate through threaded openings in the rim and serve to retain coiled expansion springs 2G within the spokesand which resilientlyv act at their inner ends against solid .spoke sections or nornmlly hold the latter in engagement with the peripheral face ot' a disleshaped or circular bearingl n'len'lber 28 for a vehicle axle. 'lhe plates 13 are interiorly'bored or hollowed out as shown ai 29 to mo'vably receive the bearing member 28 therein and in contact with the inner faces of the hollowed out portions of the plates so that the axle is lesiliently su pported by the springs when engaged through ,said bearing member. From a further inspection of the drawings, it will also be seen that the inner ends o f the spokes 26 terminate outwardly of Vthe surrounding inner walls of the plates 11 and the solid spoke sections or plungers, 27 project therefrom and into the hollowed out portions of the plate to cause expansion or compression of the springs according to their position above or below the hub as plungers 27 so asl to v s lng coacting semi-circular portions receivthe wheel rotates under a load by-,engage- I ment of the bearing member against the 1nner ends of said solid spoke sectionsor plungers. One face "of the bearing member or disk 28 is provided with a radial groove 30 for receiving a set pin 31 to prevent rotation of the bearing member independently' ofthe hub plates and wheel during the rotation of'the latter'. ,The bearing member is also provided with interior roller bearings 32 to reduce friction on the axle.

\ 'From threzferegoing description in connection with the acympanying drawings, it

' will be seen thatml'have provided-a very eflicient spring wheeled .structure and more especially aspringhub therefor and it will be apparent that by removing the taps or plugs 25 the springs 26 or the solid spoke sections or plungers 27 may be renewed when necessary. It Will further be apparent that a hub constructed in accordance with the inner ends of the spokes, an axlereceiving bearing mounted between the plates and freely movable therein vertically but held against rotation, plungers projecting from-the inner ends of the spokes to engage the bearing member and springs mounted in the spokes between the plugs .and the plunger to force the latter against the bear? ing member. f

2. In a spring wheel, the combination with a rimhavng a tread member and a plurality of openings therethrough.; of tubular spokes connected to the rim at the openings, plugs closing the openings and the outer ends of the spokes, a hub comprisy ing a pair of plates clamped together and having coacting. semi-circular portions receiving receiving plates and freely movable therein vertically but held against rotation, plungers projecting from the inner ends of the spokes to engage the bearing member, springs mounted in the spokes between the plugs andthe plunger to force the latter against the bearing member, said plates being interiorly hollowed out and enlarged relative to the 'beartlielinner ends of the spokes, an axle y bearing mounted between the ing member and shoulders carried -by the spokes to engage the peripheral edges of the plates and prevent inward vdisplacement of the spokes.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

' EUGEN KREH.

Witnesses:

CHAnLEs WESTERMANN,

HARLIN V. GREENWOOD. 

